Thanks in part to Marvel Studios’ blockbuster reign at the box office, along with hits likeGravityand the recent run ofStar Warsfilms, science fiction has seen a resurgence on the small screen – especially in the last 10 years.
No longer relegated to campy or niche programming, the genre’s output has become as popular and must-see as crime procedurals or medical dramas – albeit with richer storytelling possibilities. From live-action hits likeStranger ThingsandThe Mandalorian, to envelope-pushing animated fare likeRick & Morty, sci-fi has become royalty in the age of Peak TV. Here are the genre’s best series (so far) in the 21st Century.
Rick & Morty
Rick and Mortyis that type of show sci-fi and animation fans watch and go – “I wish I made that.”
CreatorsDan HarmonandJustin Roiland– the latter of which also voices the titular characters – have turned their R-rated, Adult Swim cartoon into a hilarious success that effortlessly straddles that fine line between poignant and gross AF that any other show would not be able to pull off. The creatives aren’t so much “breaking the rules” of animated TV storytelling as they are pushing the boundaries of them with their seemingly limitless (and envious) imagination. Four seasons in, Adult Swim’s flagship series is as funny and inventive as ever – finding new ways to tell this unique family story within the confines of every sci-fi and anime permutation possible.
And if you haven’t seen season three’s “Pickle Rick,” fix that.
Stranger Things
IfSteven Spielberg’s Amblin heyday had a threeway with Stephen King andThe X-Files, their offspring would be Netflix’sStranger Things.
One of Peak TV’s most popular shows,The Duffer Brotherscreated a very bingeable series that’s more than just nostalgia porn for the ‘80s movie nerd sect. It mixes the puzzle-plotting mythology audiences love in stories like this with relatable and likable heroes – like the ones we fell for in movies likeThe GooniesandStand By Me. (We forever stan Eleven and her Eggo love.) Taking place in a small, bucolic Indiana town - with a scary and literally twisted underbelly (because alternate dimensions) -Stranger Thingscenters on a compelling and relatable group of D&D-loving tweens who are the only things standing between us and the end of the world.
After a near-perfect first season, and rocky and repetitive season two, the creatives seemingly course corrected to deliver one hell of a third season – it’s biggest and most inclusive and diverse one to date.Stranger Thingsarguably helped make “binging” a thing –the thing– that defines how we watch TV in the 21st Century. The upcoming fourth season can’t get us back to the Upside Down fast enough.
Battlestar Galactica
Writer and creatorRonald D. Moore(Star Trek: The Next Generation) left behind the shiny and conflict-free world of the Final Frontier for the grounded and gritty world of SyFy’sBattlestar Galacticareboot. The show, which pits what’s left of humanity against the synthetic Cylon race, is a landmark series that tackles the hard questions of what it means to be human – to fight for the side of good – when the lines between right and wrong are constantly being blurred as the survival of a small group of rugged and desperate officers hang on by very thin threads.
Galacticamade up for its low-budget beginnings with a scary-good ensemble cast, lead by William Adama (Edward James Olmos) – the commander of the Galactica, who struggles to help a fleet of refugee ships find a new home as the Cylons hunt them down (and infiltrate their ranks, posing as humans.) Like all good science fiction,Battlestaruses its story to address heady themes that are still very timely – more than a decade after the show went off the air. (Can’t wait to see whatMr. Robot’sSam Esmailhas in store for his reimagining on Peacock.)
Lostspoiled us with its likable characters encountering weird, bat-shit crazy stuff (think the Smoke Monster) that kept us tuning in week after week and talking about it non-stop the next day at work (back when everybody watched shows live). It also infuriated us with its uneven final season and polarizing series finale, which seemed unable or unwilling to address the majority of its big questions and mysteries despite whole act outs and seasons being built on them.
The end result is a mostly satisfying entertainment, unlike anything network TV had done before or, honestly, since – not at this caliber, anyway. It’s a testament toJ.J. Abrams,Carlton Cuse, andDamon Lindelofexceptional character-first storytelling chops that we’re still talking about this series 16 years after it premiered – thanks in large part to that all-timer pilot episode and the characters like Jack, Kate, Sawyer, Sun, Ben (!), and Hurley that we couldn’t help but give considerable care space to asLostalternated between keeping us at the edge of our couch cushions and reaching for tissues.
“Convoluted” is putting it mildly when it comes to discussing the labyrinthine plotting of HBO’s epic series adaptation of the ‘70s Michael Crichton movie. ShowrunnersJonathan Nolan(The Dark Knight) andLisa JoyturnedWestworldinto a violent and deeply introspective sci-fi western drama about what it means – and costs – to be human in a world where god-like creation and sentient artificial intelligence are the tentpoles of high-end theme park attractions. This all goes down with lots of bloody gunfights and kick-punching – with a scope and budget that would make the great Western directorJohn Fordblush.
The conflict between robot “hosts” and the humans that make and play with them has proven to be an uneven fuel for the show’s storytelling engine (see the noble misfire that is Season 2). ButWestworldstill remains one of the most engaging series to watch, even if its story hinges more on mysteries and world-building than more emotional, character-driven pursuits. Helping balance out that deficit – especially in the all-out third season – areWestworldvetsEvan Rachel Wood,Tessa Thompson, andEd Harris. (Newcomer to the series,Aaron Paul, is also a very welcomed addition to the strong ensemble.)
Joss WhedonandTim Minear’s cancelled-too-soon sci-fi western about a motley crew of “big damn heroes” doing whatever jobs and heists they can to survive in The ‘Verse has one of the most likable ensembles ever assembled for television.
Lead byNathan Fillion’s charming-but-roguish Captain Mal Reynolds, the crew of Serenity (a Firefly-class ship) takes on two brother and sister fugitives – one of which, River (Summer Glau), possesses lethal, military-grade abilities – and embarks on an odyssey that solemns between capers and character drama in ways the genre never really tackled before. The ratings were low for its only season, but the fandom ran deep – allowing Universal Pictures and writer-director Whedon to make a 2005 follow-up movie,Serenity. Not surprising, this niche TV series didn’t find the Marvel-level success Whedon would have withThe Avengers, but it and the show its based on did make themselves even more endearing to sci-fi fans. What makesFireflyso damn “shiny” (reference!) is – you take away all the action and spaceship stuff – and the reason why you’re so invested is the characters. Audiences cannot get this dynamic anywhere else, and we hope the rumored plans to reboot the series happens sooner rather than later. Peak TV could use another must-see entry.
Doctor Who
WhileDavid Tennant’s run as the Doctor in the early 2000s is a deserved fan-favorite, the last decade-and-a-half ofDoctor Whois full of timey wimey goodness as everyone’s favorite alien time traveler regenerates and embarks on missions across time and space.
Armed with a bigger budget and the crazy-talented minds of writers likeRussell T. Davies, BBC’s 52-year-old series took our charming Doctor and their TARDIS full of various companions on compelling adventures that boil down to either saving Earth or the galaxy or both. Everyone has a favorite doctor, depending one when they first laid eyes on the show, but the current doctor –Jodie Whittaker, the first female incarnation of the iconic character – is a perfect mix of wit and heartfelt heroism.
Speaking ofDoctor Who, its more grounded spinoff,Torchwood, is one of the few spinoffs just as good (if not, at times, better) than its source material.
PuttingDoctor Who’s unique brand of science fiction through a grittier, boots-on-the-ground,X-Files-y lens,Torchwoodcenters on Captain Jack Harkness (John Barrowman) and a team of specialists on the front lines of protecting our world from the things threatening to unravel it. Season two is when creator Russell T. Davies found the show’s footing, but it’s the five-episode run ofChildren of Earth, and its unique (and tragic) take on an alien invasion, that isTorchwood’s crowning achievement.
Damon Lindelofhad the unenviable task of adapting, sequelizing, and reinterpretingAlan Mooreand artistDave Gibbons’ classic DC graphic novel for HBO. Against considerable odds, he and his writer’s room pulled it off with the type of creative success that has earned the show accolades like “one of the best TV shows ever.”
Both a sequel and “remix” of the original storyline,Watchmenis set 30 years after the comic’s world-shattering storyline and follows vigilantes likeRegina King’s Sister Knight struggling to pick up the pieces in the wake. With great sensitivity and unflinching emotional drama, the series tackles themes of racism and identity in ways that are both an indictment of America’s history and a warning for its future. The mystery box plotting is perfectly serviced, and somehow, gets better and more interesting with each episode – even when the show introducesJeremy Irons’ Ozymandias, his vast collection of clone servants, and his trip to (and from) one of Jupiter’s moons.
Amazon Prime’s underrated sci-fi series,Undone, rotoscopesWaking Life-level animation over live-action actors to tell a complex and tear-jerking take of fate, family, grief, and love.
Following the supposed “death” of her father (Bob Odenkirk), Alma (Rosa Salazar) has a near-death experience of her own that leads her to literally transcend time and space as she interacts with her long-lost dad to find the truth about what happened to him. Or, does she?
Alam’s tug-of-war over whether or not her time-transcending life is really happening is part ofUndone’s charm, as the show uses the sci-fi trope as a means to use time travel to explore the messiness of family and grief. And how the latter isn’t linear, but can only be cured with time. The final three episodes are some of the most emotional – and profound – that the genre has ever produced.
